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We always associate weight with health: if one is over-weight, he or she is always advised or encouraged to lose weight. But when it comes to heart disease, being fit is as important as being thin, according to a report published in 2004 in the Journal of American Medical Association.

The study involved 906 women whose health histories were tracked over a period of 4 years (1996 to 2000). 67 percent were over-weight at the start of the study when the mean age of the group was 58. Besides being measured weight, these women were also asked about their habit of physical activities at home, work and at leisure, such as climbing staircases, running a short distance or walking around the block without shopping.

68 of the women died during the study and 455 women suffered a heart disease related problem such as a heart attack or stroke. After analyzing the data, it was found that women who were at least moderately active were less likely to develop heart disease or related problems than women with low activity scores, no matter which weight category they were in.

Physical fitness has beneficial effects on many factors related to cardiovascular risk including obesity. Increased activity appears to be an ideal therapy for women with coronary heart disease. It is endorsed by the American Heart Association that at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity for women on most of or all days of the week.

If you are looking for activity other than the normal one or motivation to lose weight, perhaps you can consider walk your dog, if you have one in your home.

A first-of-its-kind experiment was conducted by Northwestern Medical School in Chicago to put people and their pets on a diet and exercise program. Its report published in 2004 indicating that both people and their pets lost weight, though dogs did better than their owners and did not drive them crazy begging for food.

There were 3 groups enrolled in the study involved 56 people, 53 dogs, and 36 dogs and their owners. People attended weekly counseling sessions at Northwestern on diet and exercise, and were encouraged to walk at least 20 minutes and limit calories to 1400 a day. Dogs were fed the prescription diet and target weights were set according to a doggie BMI (body mass index) taking into account the animal's breed and age. All were followed for one year.

The dog owners did slightly better than the dieters who walked and dieted alone. People lost an average of 5 kg or 5 percent of their body weight, in the first four months and kept it off for the next eight month. One person lost as many as 23 kg. The diet was, however, less onerous and more fun for the dog-walkers.

The weight loss for the dogs was even more effective. They lost an average of 5.4 kg, 15 percent of their initial weight. One dog actually lost 16 kg.